Country Music experiences

Mar 11 17:13 UTC 1998

In other news, I found a CD yesterday. Now, there's nothing
particularly noteworthy in that, since I find CDs often, but normally
only in the pop/rock/folk/world music sections of the store, although
I have also been observed in new age and soundtracks and have made the
occasional foray into classical. But yesterday I went where no TOP had
gone before, at least not willingly -- into the country
section. Oooogh. Now, before you think I've gone totally mad, there
was a reason. I had been telling Rhiannon over the weekend that the
very first song I remember obsessing over was "The Battle of New
Orleans" by Johnny Horton. And, naturally, I then wanted a copy to
stop the tune from playing in my head. So I checked the CD database at
cdconnection, and discovered that it was collected on a CD of
"Americana", and I ventured into the alien land of country music to
see if I could stand to buy it. And, actually, it has several decent
songs on it, if you like the old west pop/country crossover songs that
date from the late 50's and early 60s (El Paso, Don't Take Your Guns
to Town, North to Alaska, etc.), which Bruce does and I more-or-less
do, since apparently they form part of my primeval soundtrack. I knew
far too many of them for my own peace of mind.

Now, my question is: what makes country music country ? What is the
definition, and why don't I think of those songs named above as 
country?

response 2 of 39:

Mar 12 12:06 UTC 1998

"Country" is currently corporate product.  I do like old Eddy Arnold, though.

response 4 of 39:

Mar 13 05:19 UTC 1998

I'm sorry, I'm terrible with definitions.  Country music is what 
gets filed in the country bins.
 
If one formed an impression of jazz based on what gets played on 
"smooth jazz" radio stations, one might conclude that jazz, too, 
is all corporate product.  But "corporate product" is all most
listeners are going to encounter in any style unless they get down 
and root around under some rocks.
 
I can't think of any particular reason to file "Battle of New Orleans"
as a country song; I think of it as a pop song from when I was young.

response 6 of 39:

Mar 15 05:51 UTC 1998

  So did anyone go see the Waco Brothers show at the Magic Stick tonight?
  I was greatly bummed to find out about it only this evening, after it
  was too late for me to attend..  If you did go, please enter a response
  in the concert review album..

response 8 of 39:

Mar 24 03:08 UTC 1998

  Yes, Skull Orchard or something like that.

  I get the feeling that the Mekons are an on-again, off-again thing and
  that they're "off" for the time being.  Given the quality of their last
  few releases maybe that's not such a bad thing, either.  I'd just as
  soon they laid low for a while and got together again when they were
  ready to release an album or two of the quality level they hit with
  "Rock 'n' Roll" and "The Curse of the Mekons"

  Jon Langford isn't the only Mekon with a recent solo project -- seems
  like many of them (Langford, Sally Timms, Rico Bell, Waco Brothers, and
  others..) have been doing mostly non-Mekon work lately..

response 10 of 39:

Mar 30 04:07 UTC 1998

  But if you want to get played on country radio you have to affect a
  twang whether you're from a region where you might naturally have
  acquired one or not..

response 12 of 39:

Apr 1 03:27 UTC 1998

  To be fair, once again country music isn't the only genre where the
  popular media outlets are more concerned with image than with musical
  performance (how many female "adult contemporary" singers can you
  think of who are ugly or fat?) but given some of the traditional
  themes of country music it may be guilty of the greatest hypocrisy..

  Although it's natural to try and judge genres to which you do not
  normally listen by the output of the most prominent stars, consider
  your own favorite category of music and imagine what it'd be like if
  the biggest-selling performers were the only ones you got to hear.
  Pretty dreadful picture, isn't it? 

  That said, I find I like traditional country music a lot more than I
  like the direction in which most performers in the genre are currently
  headed..  I think current country music is being destroyed by its own
  success.

response 14 of 39:

Jun 6 13:41 UTC 1998

What makes country music "country music"?  Well, historically it has roots
in both European and African musical traditions.
 
The primary European influence is Celtic music, which contributed an emphasis
on ballads and fiddling.  

Recently, it's been argued somewhat convincingly that the banjo was
derived from the African kora, likely carried over in the slave trade. 
Both instruments are stringed instruments with a resonating chamber
covered with some sort of membrane.  It also seems that there are some
similar musical patterns. 

Undoubtedly, as settlers moved west, taking their folk music with them,
certain strains began to emerge that focused on western frontier themes
like ranching and cowboys.  This probably lent itself to more individual
performances, later incorporated into the idea of fronting a band with a
primary singer/performer.
 
Nashville established itself as a musical hub for country by the 1930s via
radio broadcasts from the Grand Ole Opry, which, interestingly, refused to
accept drums for a long time after.

This, however, didn't stop the influence of blues, and later, rock 'n'
roll.

The roots of country music form the basis for what we recognize as
country music today:  an emphasis on stringed intruments like the fiddle,
guitar, and banjo and a concern with rural themes and frontier life.



 

response 16 of 39:

Jun 9 02:56 UTC 1998

  Do you mean the "twang" in the music or the "twang" in the vocals?
  If the latter, I agree -- I get pretty put-out by the vocal affectations
  of some country musicians, especially if I later hear them talk and it's
  apparent that the way they sing is not anything like the way they talk..  

response 18 of 39:

Jun 9 22:19 UTC 1998

I'm not fond of the electric slide, especially in country music.  It was first
developed in the contemporary music of Hawaii after WWII, I believe.  Electric
slide in modern Hawaiian music is okay, I guess, but it's begun to become
cheezy.

Modern country is really bubblegummy, which makes me especially nauseous. 
The old notion that country songs are often laments of life's disappointments
don't seem to be true anymore.

One of my biggest complaints is that I can't seem to relate to the music--
that is, not just the lyrics, but the whole lifestyle around it.  Next one
is all those suburban and urban 'cowboys' who claim to be country but have
never farmed or ranched in their life.  Poseurs.

I guess I just relate more to sex, drugs, and rock n' roll (and everything
before and after that).

response 20 of 39:

Jun 11 12:22 UTC 1998

Country's just been musically inbred for a while -- modern commercialization
has just forced stagnation.  It's beginning to change a little, however.  I
see more country artists beginning to borrow from outside their immediate
musical heritage, going farther back to blues, bluegrass, and folk.

In fairness, other popular music styles haven't been immune to this syndrome.
As much nostalgia as I hold for the 80s, I don't think it was an exceptionally
experimental time.  I see much more growth, now.

response 22 of 39:

Aug 2 08:51 UTC 1998

Oh, that's how country has found so much fame these days!  Must make marketing
a hell of a lot easier-- just get a pretty face and a golden voice, and don't
worry about whether a person that possesses those can write or not.

Of course, country's been selling out, too.

response 24 of 39:

Aug 4 03:19 UTC 1998

        Actually with more country artists than Nashville can hold,
Country is finding more popularity, partly because there is more 
to choose from.